The First Fallen
by ArionWong
Summary: Chapter 6. The mystery deepens as Hild enters the scene.
1. Default Chapter

"Insert disclaimers here" insert source here.   
  
Please forgive any errors that you may... no... that you -will- find here. Contrary to popular belief, I do not just write self-insertions. This fic is written (being written s-l-o-w-l-y) as a dare from a friend who thought otherwise.  
  
---  
  
It was just another beautiful day. Perfect weather with clear blue skies and fluffy white clouds, gentle breeze blowing past.  
  
Wonderful.  
  
How to change this peaceful situation?  
  
Answer:  
  
One Goddess of the Past, with great magical powers,  
  
One Goddess of the Future, with great technological skills,  
  
One medium-sized television,  
  
Two TV shows on two different channels but at the same timeslot,  
  
Mix it all together,  
  
Tada! Instant Goddess Racket!  
  
"Ah, my television," Urd drawled. The sexy Goddess of the Past was in her customary position, floating in a lying down posture with her face much too close to the television.  
  
The tanned skinned, exotic looking Goddess languidly reached to turn the channel knob of the television, but someone else beat her to it.  
  
"Hey!" Urd protested.  
  
"Hey yourself! I want to watch the Technologica Special!" the young goddess known as Skuld replied. The young Goddess of the Future sat back triumphantly as the intro of the show began.  
  
Urd's hand snaked forward quickly and turned the channel knob back. "I switched the tv on first! I get to choose the channel!"  
  
"You watched your show already!" Skuld yelled.  
  
"Uh-uh! Today's a double-episode special!" Urd answered.  
  
"You're just being greedy!" Skuld exclaimed.  
  
"What, you want to fight for it?" her eldest sister challenged. Urd actually rolled up one sleeve and sparks of lightning danced around a clenched fist.  
  
But as usual, the youngest of the goddesses in the Morisato home wasn't deterred. In an instant, two miniature bombs appeared on Skuld's hands, ready for mayhem.  
  
"Aaaaaah! Do you guys have to be so noisy first thing in the morning!?" Keiichi wailed from his room, hands grasping the sides of his hair. He got up, his mind still shrouded in a foul mood as he stomped towards his door and pulled the shoji door open.  
  
"Good morning, Keiichi-san," a melodious voice greeted.  
  
Instantly, Keiichi's foul mood disappeared. Standing in front of him was a vision. The Goddess of the Present smiled, her face radiant with near-unearthly beauty.  
  
"G-good morning, Belldandy," Keiichi replied, slightly stuttering.  
  
"Breakfast will be ready soon, please wait a while," the golden-haired goddess said and headed towards the kitchen.  
  
Keiichi watched as she walked away and disappeared from view. Then he knocked himself on the head.  
  
'Idiot! I still can't talk straight to her face!' he berated himself.  
  
As he sullenly walked to the living room, memories of his relationship with Belldandy filtered through his mind. He chuckled despite the sounds of the Urd-Skuld TV Battle #671 getting louder. After so much trials and tribulations, miscues and slip-ups in their relationship... He wondered if there would anything new to endanger their previous love.  
  
And then, a Skuld bomb exploded in his face.  
  
"What a beautiful start for a brand new day," Keiichi managed to say before passing out.  
  
---  
  
Mumbled apologies and a breakfast later, Keiichi and Belldandy arrived at Chihiro Fujimi's garage, the Whirlwind. Keiichi tapped the side of his bike's fuel tank before shutting it off. It was almost a ritual, a way of thanking the machine for its efforts.  
  
"Oh my, look at that," Belldandy remarked as soon as she removed her helmet and stepped out of the sidecar.  
  
Keichii blinked before noticing a sleek but slightly battered looking tourer parked at the entrance.  
  
"Wow! That's a Vincent Series D bike!" Keichii exclaimed excitedly. He hurriedly took off his helmet and dashed to get a closer look. Belldandy took her time to follow him.  
  
"Is it very special, Keiichi?" the goddess asked, standing behind him. Keiichi had squated near the bike, running his fingers over the chromed engine, his eyes shining excitedly.  
  
"You bet! This is a Black Shadow! It was made a very long time ago... I never thought to see a real one, let alone touch one! This is a classic bike!"  
  
Belldandy smiled, almost bemusedly. She loved the way his eyes lit up. 'Truly, he is a person who knows how to appreciate,' she thought tenderly.  
  
"Hmm, but the suspension's shot... and the metal's all dented too..." Keiichi mumbled to himself, almost wincing as he saw the damage to the classic bike.  
  
Just then, the door to the Whirldwind opened. A man of average height dressed in dark leathers and blue jeans stepped out slowly, bowing repeatedly. A sheepish looking Chihiro Fujimi followed suit.  
  
"I'm sorry to be such trouble," the man said. Keiichi and Belldandy couldn't see his face as his back was to them.  
  
"Ah, no, please don't apologize," Chihiro grimaced, one hand rubbing the back of her head. "I'm the one who should be apologizing, not you."  
  
"What happened, Chihiro-san?" Keiichi asked.  
  
"Ah, Keiichi!" his boss looked over the man's shoulder and clapped once. "You don't happen to have a Vincent Girdraulic front suspension with you now, do you?"   
  
"...How is that possible?"  
  
"I guess not," Chihiro sighed. The short-haired woman clasped her hands together and bowed to the stranger. "I'm really sorry that we can't help you!"  
  
"No, it's my carelessness... I didn't take care of my bike," the man said.  
  
"Your bike? Is this Black Shadow yours?" Keiichi blurted.  
  
The man turned around and for the first time, Keiichi and Belldandy could see his face.   
  
"Yes. Unfortunately, I've failed to take better care of it," the man answered.  
  
He was lean and youngish, perhaps in his mid-twenties. There was a certain burden about the way he moved, despite his young contenance he had all the bearings of a person with too much experience. His blue eyes were deep pools, much too old for his face.  
  
"You had an accident?" Keiichi turned away towards the bike, somehow embarrassed to look at him in the eyes.  
  
"Yes," the man replied simply. It only caused Chihiro to be even more flustered.  
  
"Aha! D-don't worry about that! You're not in a rush towards anywhere, right?" she nervously asked.  
  
"No worries. I'm just drifting."  
  
"Oho! A road warrior! A kindred spirit! My name is Chihiro Fujimi!"  
  
"And I'm Matthew, from America," the man introduced himself.  
  
"Wow, from America... you speak very good Japanese," Keiichi remarked. It earned him a chuckle from the taller man.  
  
"I work as a linguist... I speak many languages," he revealed.  
  
"So what are you doing in Japan, if I may ask?"  
  
Matthew shrugged and ran a hand over his tussled black hair. "As I mentioned, I'm just drifting. There's money in my pockets, and a wanderlust in me. Therefore, I go."  
  
"That sounds very wonderful," Belldandy commented.  
  
Matthew blinked, as if noticing her for the first time. "Yes... well, traveling is in my nature after all."  
  
Belldandy cocked her head to a side. "I'm sorry, but have we met? I feel there is something familiar about you."  
  
Matthew stared at her face for a moment, and she stared back impassively. Then he shook his head. "I doubt it. This is my first time in Japan. Unless you have been wandering the world like I have."  
  
"No, I haven't."  
  
The blue-eyed American shrugged again. "There you have it."  
  
Seized by a flash of jealousy, Keiichi's mind scrambled to get back into the conversation. "Exactly what happened to your bike, Matthew-san?"  
  
Chihiro began to break into a sweat. Noticing her discomfort from a corner of his eye, Matthew smirked.   
  
"Well, I was just happily driving along the road..." Matthew began.   
  
"Let's not get into the details, shall we?" Chihiro interrupted. Matthew laughed, and seeing his easy going demeanor, she too joined in. For a moment, Keiichi and Belldandy stood there stupefied as they laughed.  
  
As the laughter died down, Chihiro turned sombre. "But, what will you do? The parts won't be here for at least a week... You're lucky I've got contacts in the UK to actually get them."  
  
Matthew waved a hand is dismissal. "I'll wait. My visa won't expire for another six months, so I've got all the time in the world."  
  
"No, that's not what I meant," Chihiro insisted, "what I meant was, what will you do in the meantime?  
  
"I'll just get a hotel or something."  
  
"And burn your money while waiting? Because of my fault?" Chihiro was aghast.  
  
"There really is no alternative, is there?" Matthew smirked.  
  
"Keiichi!" Chihiro pointed at the startled Japanese man.  
  
"Yes?" he managed to squeek.  
  
"Let him stay at your place!"  
  
"What!?" Keiichi and Matthew chorused at the same time.  
  
"It's ok isn't it, my dear employee?" Chihiro insisted, her eyes gleaming and rubbing her hands together.  
  
"Eh, well..." Keiichi was hesitant. On one hand, he had hardly enough 'quality time' with Belldandy as it is, with Urd and Skuld being near-constant irritations. On the other, one wouldn't dare to incur the wrath of chihiro Fujimi, who was rumored to have the strength to beat bears into submission...  
  
"No, I can hardly impose!" Matthew interjected. Before Chihiro could mount another tack he vigorously shook his head. "I don't want to be a bother," he added.  
  
"Oh, you won't be a bother at all," Belldandy cut in. Keiichi and Matthew blinked at her in surprise.  
  
"But... how could I?" Matthew mumbled.  
  
"Please don't worry, everything will be alright," Belldandy added.  
  
Again, Matthew blinked. 'This girl... she's... something different...' Matthew thought jarringly to himself. Something deep within him pulsed... almost painfully...  
  
---  
  
In the dimension known as Heaven, there was a huge, near omnipotent, living computer named Yggrasil. It literally, ran the universe(s). Perhaps the universe(s) were growing at a too fast a rate for God to control, perhaps He was bored, who knows.   
  
But Yggdrasil ran everything.  
  
And it, in turn, was supervised by beings known as gods and goddesses. Before Belldandy's fateful contract with Keiichi to stay with him forever on Earth, the Yggdrasil was supervised by three Norns. But when Belldandy left, Urd and Skuld soon followed, leaving the monumental computer unattended.  
  
After several incidents resulting from their absenteeism, Peorth was promoted to supervise the massive, living machine. The Goddess of Forever headed a sizable department directly responsible for the maintainence of the universe.  
  
Even so, God had seen it fit to keep an eye on his three wayward Norns, despite being so busy with Other Important Stuff. Despite His vast responsibilities (or lack thereof, depending on which subordinate god you asked), He devoted a slice of His attention on scrunitizing the interesting effects of Urd, Belldandy and Skuld living together with the mortal, Keiichi Morisato.  
  
A fragment of his consciousness now recognized the encounter between Belldandy and Matthew, and something clicked deep within his memory...  
  
---  
  
"We're home!" Keiichi called out as soon as he opened the doors to his temple-cum-home. Chihiro had closed shop early and given the day off to them, as well as giving Matthew a ride to Keiichi's place. Her bike rumbled away in the distance even as the trio was taking off their shoes.  
  
"Nice place you've got here," Matthew remarked, "how did you come to get it?"  
  
Keiichi looked at Belldandy and blushed. "You could say... it's something achieved with incredibly dumb luck."  
  
Belldandy merely smiled, fondly remembering their first encounter, so long ago it seemed...  
  
"Keiichi? You're back early..." a voice called from within the temple. A moment later, Matthew found himself staring at Urd, who had folded her arms and stared back at him. Again, something painful within him pulsed at the first sight of the goddess.  
  
"Who's this?" Urd questioned.  
  
"This is Matthew. He's going to stay with us for a while," Keiichi said.  
  
Something about Matthew stirred a nostalgic feeling in Urd. "Say, do I know you?" she asked.  
  
Matthew's throat suddenly felt dry. "No, I don't. I think I would have remembered someone like you," he found himself saying.  
  
"My, a charmer," Urd laughed.  
  
"Who's that?" Skuld asked as she came up. She stopped in midstep the moment she laid her eyes on Matthew, who again felt another pulse.  
  
"I'm Matthew," he said and bowed politely to the young goddess.  
  
"I'm Skuld," Skuld automatically replied. Like Urd, she too frowed and asked, "Say, have we-"  
  
"No, we haven't," Matthew interrupted, anticipating the question.  
  
"This is very strange," Keiichi said, "all three of you seem to ask the same thing about Matthew."  
  
Matthew took the opportunity to compare the three women in the area. "Those markings on your faces..."  
  
"Oh these? These are religious marks from where we came from, they are unremovable," Urd lied easily.  
  
"Then you three are..."  
  
"Yes, they are sisters," Keiichi confirmed. "This is Urd, Belldandy and Skuld."  
  
"But... they look so different! Where I come from-"  
  
"You're not where you came from," Urd interrupted. "By the way, why is he staying here?"  
  
"Eeh!?" Skuld exclaimed, having heard about it for the first time.  
  
---  
  
Back at Heaven, Peorth sighed with boredom. Sure, being the head of the department sounded like a cushy job, but it also entailed delegation. Meaning, giving the actual work to her peons. Not that she missed it, but on slow days, it was really very boring.  
  
What does a bored Goddess do in her free time?  
  
Spy on her friends, of course.   
  
She manipulated the controls so that one of the monitors displayed the place where the three Norns and Keiichi call home.  
  
"Let's see, what's going on here..." Peorth smiled slyly as she zoomed into the Morisato temple home. Urd was mixing potions, Skuld making more machines...   
  
'Where's Belldandy and Keiichi...' she wondered, before realization hit in. 'Oh, they must be at work.'  
  
Just then, she caught sight of two bikes entering the temple's compound. It was Keiichi and Belldandy on their usual side-car-equiped bike, and she recognized the other as the mortal known as Chihiro Fujimi. Even though they had not really formally met, Peorth made it her business to know about the people revolving around the Belldandy-Keiichi pair. Peorth inwardly winced when she remembered how she had mistaken Keiichi for having a preference for overgrown oafs instead of a hot, desirably goddess like herself.  
  
She noted with interest about the fourth visitor. 'Another new face... hmmm...' she thought. She commanded her console to identify the stranger. Peorth had considered about the moral implications of prying such information about people that she had never met, but she rationalized with herself that as long as it was just basic data it wouldn't hurt.   
  
Besides, she was curious.   
  
A few beeps later, it produced some non-satisfactory results:-  
  
Name: Matthew ???  
  
Age: Undetermined  
  
Affliation: Unknown  
  
"Unknown!?" Peorth yelled, jumping up to her feet in shock. Several of her subordinates glanced at her with curiousity, but she paid no mind.  
  
'This is impossible! How could he have an unknown affliation!? He must either be a God, a mortal or a Demon!' her mind thundered.  
  
And then, all of Yggdrasil went berserk.  
  
Peorth and the other goddesses were transfixed in their places, frightened by the sudden activity. An alarm blared as the entire control room was bathed in red light.  
  
"What's happening?!" Peorth called out, struggling to remain calm.  
  
Her goddesses frantically worked their stations to no avail.  
  
"It's no good! All controls are not responding to our commands!" they wailed.  
  
"ANOMALY DETECTED. ENGAGING SAFETY PROTOCOL LEVEL ZETA OMEGA ONE. NOTIFICATION SENT TO GOD AND THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT," a feminine, emotionless voice boomed all around the control hall, leaving no doubt as who the source was.  
  
Peorth was shocked. So was the rest of her crew.  
  
It was the first time they ever heard Yggdrasil speak.  
  
"I don't understand! Why the Justice Department?!" Peorth demanded. Her knuckles had turned white because she had clenched her fists so tightly. They were shaking... with fear and with a sense of helpless rage. She had never even heard of Safety Protocol Level Zeta Omega One, whatever it was. If it was within Yggdrasil, she should have known about it.  
  
The Justice Department prided itself as the ones closest to God. They were His direct instruments, His first servants that were created long before Yggdrasil went online. The Justice Department regulated the law and sees that they were enforced, though their powers and influence have diminished somewhat with the construction of Yggdrasil. The formation of the Combat Division had also decreased the Justice Department's roles in active battle against the Demons, so much that the Justice Department had been reduced to being an administrative role above the newer branches. It was noted in the history databanks that the Justice Deparment had suffered a reversal in fortunes right after the establishment of the uneasy truce between Gods and Demons so long ago...  
  
For something to bypass the Combat Division as well the Yggdrasil System was quite unprecedented.  
  
To actually get all the way up to the Justice Department and even straight up to God Himself...  
  
"What is going on?!" Peorth yelled, thumping a fist on her console.  
  
She had no answers. 


	2. Taking Over

The three Norns on Earth, despite their close links to Yggdrasil, remain blissfully unaware of the chaos that was happening in Heaven.  
  
Matthew found himself seated on the tatami floor and being eyed at by the three goddesses. He tried to remain calm as he slowly sipped his cup of tea by avoiding eye contact.  
  
"You're lying!!" Skuld suddenly exclaimed, startling the American.  
  
"W-wha..."  
  
"I'm sure I've seen you before!" the Goddess of the Future said in a accusotary tone.  
  
"But, we've just met!" Matthew protested.  
  
Urd shook her head. "No... for once I agree with the brat. There's something about you..."  
  
Skuld nodded vigorously. "Yeah!" she enthused, before whirling on her eldest sister indignantly. "Hey, who you calling brat!?"  
  
"The one who responds to 'brat' -is- a brat!" Urd replied.  
  
In a movement that was too fast for Matthew's eyes, two Skuld-bombs appeared ready for dispatch.  
  
Butb efore a new firestorm could appear, Belldandy intervened. "Skuld, Urd, we have a guest here. We shouldn't fight in front of a guest. As sisters, we shouldn't fight at all..."  
  
Matthew watched as Skuld was chastened. Urd twirled a lock of her platinum hair, trying to be aloof, but failing (in Matthew's eyes) due to the sheepish look on her face.  
  
"...Are you sure they are really sisters?" Matthew asked Keiichi.  
  
Keiichi smiled weakly. "I often wondered about that myself."  
  
---  
  
Back at the Yggdrasil control hall, the racket continued.  
  
"The system is still not responding to us, but cursory diagnostics reveal that all standard procedures are still working," one of Peorth's subordinate gods reported.  
  
Peorth nodded in acknowledment. "Good, that means everything is still running. Have you found out what's Protocol Omega Zeta One?"  
  
The subordinate shook her head. "No, there's nothing we can do. All major database functions have been restricted. We can't even find out what access level it is. All that we know about it is that it has been boosted to top priority over all system resources. So far it haven't done anything but to reserve resources for... something. We aren't sure, but we think it's waiting for something to happen."  
  
Peorth sighed and waved a hand in dismissal. "Good work... try and see if you can find anything else," she said. The subordinate nodded and went away.  
  
Left on her own, sitting high above others at her console, Peorth bit a fingernail in unaccustomed nervousness. She stared at the monitors and keyboard, gathering her thoughts. Her mind flickered briefly over the entity known as 'Matthew' that she had discovered earlier, but her top concern was essentially the total lockdown of the Yggdrasil system.  
  
"Maybe I can hack into the database to find out what Omega Zeta One is..."  
  
"That is no longer your concern, Goddess First Class," a deep voice interrupted her spoken thoughts.  
  
Shocked, the Goddess of Forever turned around. Standing behind her seat (well, more like floating a few inches of the ground) was a dignified looking god dressed in long flowing robes (perhaps the reason for the floating). He was -aged-, which was pretty shocking for Peorth, seeing that gods and goddesses only show their age when they were very, very old.  
  
His hair was pure white and combed back, his face wrinkled and creased like a tired scholar. But his eyes were alive with wisdom and purpose. There was only a single, rune inscribed on his lined forehead, a curious shape that Peorth couldn't identify.  
  
If it wasn't for the simple pattern designs on his white robes and the single rune on his head, Peorth would have a hard time distinguishing him as an Elder God from a decrepit old mortal.  
  
More importantly, a Judge from the Justice Department.  
  
"My name is Judge Fides. I trust you know who I am, young one," the Elder God said gravely.  
  
"Y-yes, of course, Judge Fides of the Justice Department..." Peorth stuttered, awed in the presence of such a ancient being.  
  
"Good. Please order your subordinates to leave the Yggdrasil Control Hall immediately," Fides said.  
  
"What!?" Peorth blurted. "We can't leave the system unattended!"  
  
"Do not worry," Fides replied calmly, though it only made her even more agitated.  
  
All doors to the control hall hissed open and more of the white-robed Judges appeared, each heading to the major terminals controlling Yggdrasil. Her subordinates goddesses were stunned by their sudden appearance. With gentle but forceful gestures, they motioned her goddesses to leave.  
  
"What are you doing!?" Peorth demanded. Elder God or not, this was -her- control room. She wasn't about to let some bearded geezers to walk in unchallenged.  
  
"We are taking over the facility," Fides answered simply.  
  
Peorth stared at him. Fides' eyes hardened.  
  
"Your presence... -all- the younger gods... are unnecessary here. Leave Yggdrasil to us," he continued.  
  
Peorth felt the power and conviction in his words, but she wasn't about to give up so easily. "I've heard nothing of this! GOD has yet to give such an order!"  
  
"Then seek GOD yourself and ask Him directly," Fides said grimly.  
  
The Goddess was understandably angry at his brusque reply. "You-!"  
  
"-Goddess First Class-," Fides interrupted, emphasing her rank, "we are His Will, and you are in our way."  
  
"You can't do this!" Peorth yelled furiously, forgetting in the heat of the moment that she was talking back to an Elder God.  
  
Fides' stare was cold and severe, his eyes glaring straight into the very core of her being. Peorth then understood that further discussion was -not- welcomed.  
  
"We are Judges. There is nothing we cannot do."  
  
---  
  
Back on Earth, Matthew sweated profusely. He jealously guarded his cards close to his chest, and his eyes darted nervously left and right at Urd and Skuld respectively.  
  
One mistake could end his chances immediately... that was how close the game was.  
  
"C'mon, it's your turn," Urd said, her eyes narrowing. A triumphant smile was beginning to carve up her lips, which only increased Matthew's anxiety.  
  
On his other side was Skuld, also with a hand of cards. Although the youngest goddess wouldn't admit it, there was a near identical smile on her lips as well.  
  
They were playing a game of Uno, battling rights for the tv.  
  
It all came about due to Matthew being unaware of the unwritten rules in the Morisato home.   
  
"So, er, what's on the tv tonight?" he had asked innocently earlier. It was a lame excuse trying to get something to say, trying to warm up to the people that he would be living with for the next week.  
  
It brought unexpected results.  
  
"In this house, you have to play-per-view," Urd had smirked.  
  
Even as she and Skuld snickered while getting the deck of well-worned Uno cards out, Belldandy excused herself.  
  
"I will get some tea," she announced.  
  
"I'll help you," Keiichi said hurriedly, following her to the kichen.  
  
Keiichi watched as Belldandy gently prepared a freshly brewed pot of Japanese green tea. She poured the hot liquid into a small, elegant Japanese tea pot.  
  
"Belldandy, what do you think of Matthew?" he suddenly asked. He was more than a little curious, remembering the goddesses' similar reactions when meeting the American for the first time.  
  
Belldandy smiled as she set the pot down and reached to get several tea cups. "There is something about him, Keiichi. I cannot explain it, but maybe some things aren't meant to be explained."  
  
"I see..." Keiichi muttered and frowned in thought. He was disappointed by the vague answer. Normally, any other man in his shoes would be insanely jealous, but Keiichi was Keiichi. There was a reason why Belldandy loved him.  
  
"Keiichi, I am sorry."  
  
"What? Why?"  
  
"I invited him into our home without consulting you. It was rash of me," the goddess said apologetically.  
  
Something tingled down Keiichi's spine when she said 'our home'. He smiled and touched her clasped hands tenderly.  
  
"Nonsense, you did the right thing," Keiichi said softly. "We can hardly turn our backs on people who need our help, can't we?"  
  
"Keiichi..." Belldandy smiled. This was what she loved about him, his tenderness... the innate kindness and love that was within him.  
  
The sudden atmosphere stirred the courage within Keiichi. He leaned closer to her face, and Belldandy complied by slowly closing her eyes as he approached...  
  
"DRAW FOUR! Hah! Read it and weep!" Urd's exclaimation from the living room ruined the romantic feeling around them.   
  
"Nooooo!!" Matthew yelled in despair.  
  
Keiichi and Belldandy opened their eyes and blinked several times at each other.   
  
"Eheh... shall we get going?" Keiichi said awkwardly, not knowing how to salvage the situation. He inwardly moaned about another lost chance to kiss his beloved goddess. To top it off, Belldandy smiled and nodded in agreement, seemingly unaffected by the chance lost.  
  
He didn't know it, but Belldandy had no qualms about the lost moment. There was no rush or feeling sad about one lost opportunity, for she knew they would have unlimited moments together.  
  
And so, they stepped back into the living room, Keiichi a little disappointed at his luck.   
  
Matthew was sadly drawing several cards from the deck as a penalty when the doorbell rang.  
  
"I'll get it," Keiichi volunteered.  
  
"Thank you, Keiichi," Belldandy said warmly.  
  
As Keiichi headed to the door, he could hear Matthew moaning in further despair.  
  
"No, not you too!"  
  
Skuld was unrelenting. "Draw four!"  
  
Keiichi chuckled as he heard Matthew's torment. 'At least he's settling in well with them'.  
  
The doorbell rang again, this time with a sense of urgency.  
  
"Coming!" Keiichi called out even as he opened the door.  
  
His eyes widened and his jaw dropped when he saw his visitor.  
  
"We need to talk," Peorth said tersely.  
  
-tbc-  
  
---  
  
Thankees  
  
--------  
  
devil-urd: Thanks for the encouraging review. That was what all Chapter 1 was all about, just getting attention. This is my first O!MG fic, so I hope I can keep your interest.  
  
kate: ^_^ dost thou ever heard of 'judge not a book from its covers'? Actually, I understand why you came into that conclusion: Matthew is a blue-eyed American linguist who rides a classic bike in Japan and posseses... something that riles up Yggdrasil something fierce. Sounds ridiculous isn't it? ^_^;;  
  
Yes, maybe no, but leaning towards yes... About what? About the theory of yes and no. In anycase, Matthew is much more than meets the eyes (no, he doesn't transform into a cassette deck or something). On another note, what type of villain would you suggest as a foil against the powerful Goddesses? Not much choices if you think about it.  
  
Maybe this will be a nice time to segue to...  
  
Creation Notes (aka Excuses For Why I Did What I Did):  
  
------------------------------------------------------  
  
Matthew   
  
1) Why a new character? Because I've looked around the existing cast and I couldn't find anyone to pull the storyline off. Because I suck at writing 'in-character'.  
  
2) Why 'Matthew'? Why not? This has nothing to do with the fact that the one who dared me to write this fic was a lousy friend named Matthew. Nope, nothing to do with you at all, Matt. Move along...  
  
3) Why an American? Because I'm Asian and I do not wish people to mistake Matthew to be a self-insertion.  
  
4) Why a linguist? Since he's American, I need an excuse for him to be able to talk in Japanese.  
  
5) Why a classic bike? Honestly, no idea. I just need an excuse for Matthew to meet Keiichi via Chihiro.  
  
6) Why not Matthew meeting Keiichi directly in the first place? Because the "new character meets the major character (and gang) directly" theme has been done to death. Plus, Keiichi riding with Belldandy getting into an accident? Unlikely (it only happened rarely in the manga).  
  
The Judges/Justice Department  
  
1) Why? I needed a sinisterly group hanging above everybody's head (and halo).  
  
2) I am a fan of 2000AD's Judge Dredd (please forget the awful Slyvester Stallone movie).  
  
Elder God(s)  
  
1) Who? Gods who are very, very old. Here's a rough comparison, say, if Belldandy is 21 human years old, Elder Gods are in the vicinity of 65 and above. They are GOD's first servants and His closest advisors, later grouped into the Justice Department. Very powerful beings, but are basically 'retired' for the younger gods to take their place.  
  
Judge Fides  
  
1) Why 'Fides'? Fides is Latin for 'trust, belief, faith'.  
  
Protocol Omega Zeta One  
  
1) Why? I liked the acronym (OZO). Haw haw.  
  
-eof- 


	3. Guests

3.  
  
Within the control hall of Yggdrasil, unfamiliar gods were at the helm. Dressed in white flowing robes and generally old-looking, these Elder Gods were now in command of the computer.  
  
"Fides, we now have effective control over Yggdrasil," one of the Elder Gods reported.  
  
"Good work, Cohors. Have there been any resistance?" Fides asked. He now sat on Peorth's chair, his eyes roving the monitors as he drank in the information.  
  
"No, but there has been grumblings from the younger gods," Cohors smirked.  
  
"Impudent children. To think that GOD has entrusted His Great Work to them instead of us."  
  
"Speaking of children, we are having a little trouble with the code. It has changed dramatically since we last saw it."  
  
"Obviously. At least they are trying to make an improvement."  
  
Cohors shrugged. "Most of the recent advancements came from a young goddess named Skuld. Her code is quite useful, though still prone to bugs."  
  
"I have heard of her. Another of GOD's mysteries. Why did he put someone so young in charge of Yggdrasil? At least the one called Peorth was more mature..." Fides trailed off as he remembered his brief encounter with the unexpectedly fiery goddess. "Well, maybe not that much," he added with a faint smile.  
  
Cohors nodded in agreement. "We cannot let this go on any further, Fides. We must see through our mission while we still have the time."  
  
"Patience, Cohors. Roma is heading down there as we speak. She will do her best."  
  
"What do you mean, 'do her best'?" Cohors repeated dubiously. "Do you expect her to have difficulties?"  
  
"Despite your belief that I am all-knowing, Cohors, I do not know everything. The coincidences leading up to this point is nothing short of staggering. I would not be surprised if our next card is a useless one."  
  
"If you say so, Fides... It sounds like you're expecting someone to actually upset our careful planning," Cohors said uncertainly.  
  
"Only time will tell, friend. But even if it is so, we will continue no matter what the cost. Now leave me, I have much to ponder."  
  
"As you wish."  
  
As Cohors disappeared from his view, Fides slumped in his chair. "Time... even gods are powerless against it..."  
  
---  
  
"Peorth!"  
  
The Goddess of Forever ignored Keiichi's exclamation and pushed past him into his home, nearly causing him to fall. Peorth did not seem to see his plight and marched in rapid steps towards the interior.  
  
Sighing, Keiichi closed the door. "Nice to meet you too," he muttered sarcastically as he followed her steps.  
  
Peorth came to a complete stop when she found the rest of the Morisato household in the living room.   
  
"-You-!" the goddess shouted, pointing an accusing finger at Matthew who was startled by the sudden intrusion. His hand was frozen over the Uno deck, on the verge of drawing several cards that was penalized on him.  
  
In fact, everyone was surprised by Peorth's entrance.  
  
Urd was frozen in mid-dance, standing on one feet and a Japanese fan on one hand. Skuld too was frozen, her mouth wide open in mid-laughter and tears beginning to spring from her eyes at Matthew's expense.  
  
There was silence for a moment.  
  
"Everyone, please drink your tea while it's hot," Belldandy said cheerfully. She carefully placed her tray of tea cups on the table and began distributing them.  
  
The silence broken, everyone continued what they were doing. Matthew blinked and turned away from Peorth to draw his remaining cards, Urd continued her victory dance while Skuld laughed on.  
  
"Are you guys listening to me?!" Peorth yelled in disbelief.  
  
"Aw, pipe down Peorth. Can't you see we're a little busy here?" Urd drawled as she stopped her dance and began to sit back down for her turn.  
  
"Hey, didja come here to return my shoujo manga?" Skuld asked as her laughter subsided.  
  
"Oh my, Peorth! What a pleasant surprise! Let me get a cup of tea for you!" Belldandy gushed.  
  
"This is no time for tea!" Peorth thundered, and everyone stopped what they were doing, including Keiichi who had just entered.  
  
"Oh, but I have just made a fresh pot. It is very delicious," Belldandy replied earnestly, disrupting Peorth's impetus yet again.  
  
"Ah, who is that?" Matthew discreetly asked Urd as he eyed his increased pile of cards.  
  
"Hmm? She's Peorth."  
  
"Another one of your sisters?"  
  
Urd drew back in horror. "Peorth!? What in the blazes made you think that?"  
  
"Well, she has those markings like all of you..."  
  
"Er, that can be explained very easily. We're, ah, part of the same tribe," Urd sweated.  
  
"Will you imbéciles listen to me?! This is all his fault!" Peorth said and pointed at Matthew, who silently mouthed 'Me?' in puzzlement.  
  
"Yes, -you-! Have you-"  
  
"No, I have not seen you before," Matthew hastily interrupted, presuming that the question Peorth was asking was in the lines of past meetings.  
  
Peorth was taken aback, she meant to ask "Have you any idea what you caused?". For a moment she stood there as her mental cogs turned.  
  
"How did you- no, that's not what I meant!" Peorth said, slapping her forehead in frustration.  
  
"Peorth, here's your tea," Belldandy said, oblivious to her friend's anguish, while Urd and Skuld continued to badger Matthew in their game of Uno.  
  
The sight of her fellow goddesses so blissfully ignorant of the unknown danger that Matthew represented infuriated Peorth. She angrily swiped the cup of tea from Belldandy and smashed it onto the floor.  
  
The sound of the breaking cup shocked everyone.  
  
Belldandy most of all. Her hands flew to her face. "Peorth..."  
  
"Hey, why did you do that for!?" Urd demanded.  
  
"Yeah! If you don't wanna drink just say so! How dare you waste my sister's tea!" Skuld added.  
  
"You idiots," Peorth hissed. "Have you any idea what's happening to Yggdrasil right now?"  
  
The three goddesses exchanged puzzled glances amongst themselves.  
  
Keiichi stepped in to play the mediator. He was also worried about Matthew being exposed to Yggdrasil and the other aspects of the goddesses that should be kept hidden.  
  
"Look, it seems that you four have a lot to discuss. Come on Matthew, let me show you the temple grounds," Keiichi volunteered.  
  
Matthew shrugged, feeling immensely awkward. He found himself tongue-tied, so he merely got up and followed Keiichi, trying to ignore the accusing glare in Peorth's eyes as he walked past.  
  
As soon as they were out in the compound, Matthew exhaled loudly.  
  
"What the hell was that? Does this happen often?"  
  
Keiichi laughed nervously. "Too much for comfort, I guess you can say that..."  
  
"What's Yggdrasil?"  
  
"It's, uh, their favorite plant. They get very attached to it," Keiichi said, wincing at the white lie.  
  
---  
  
The four goddesses now sat around the sole table in the Morisato living room. The three Norns stared at Peorth.  
  
"Yggdrasil's in lockdown!?" Skuld exclaimed.  
  
"Are you sure you're not pulling our legs?" Urd asked.  
  
Peorth shot her a glare. "Do I even look like I'm joking here?"  
  
"But... our links to Yggdrasil are still intact," Belldandy said.  
  
"It's not a crash... no, it's worst than a crash..."  
  
"Come on, what happened?" Urd asked impatiently.  
  
"Yggdrasil is now in the hands of the Elder Gods. Judge Fides himself gave me the marching orders," Peorth answered grimly.  
  
"Those old farts from the Justice Department!?" Urd yelled indignantly. "Why didn't you stop them?!"  
  
Peorth's nostrils flared angrily. "I'd like to see -you- stand toe-to-toe with Judge Fides sometime!"  
  
"You'll see it and more if any of them retirement home candidates ever show their wrinkled mugs here!" Urd seethed. The sheer anger in her voice stunned Peorth and Skuld. Belldandy had a sad look on her face.  
  
"Why-" Peorth started to ask.  
  
"Peorth," Belldandy interrupted and shook her head. "How did this happen?" she asked, changing the topic.  
  
Peorth warily looked around to make sure that they were not being eavesdropped.  
  
"This is what I know," she took a deep breath, "that the person known as Matthew is the cause of this."  
  
"What!?" the three sisters chimed. Or rather, it was Urd and Skuld, while Belldandy went, "Oh my!"  
  
---  
  
Outside, Keiichi sat on the porch and watched as a depressed looking Matthew walked around kicking the dirt.  
  
'What a change from the cool, confident guy when I first saw him,' Keiichi noted. Indeed, Matthew acted as if there was a general unease about him, pacing back and forth with his head bowed with thought.  
  
"Matthew, is there something bothering you?" Keiichi finally asked.  
  
"I don't know, Keiichi. Something is wrong... I don't know what but something is wrong."  
  
Keiichi blinked. "Well, you've just been here for barely two hours. Maybe you haven't gotten used to it yet."  
  
"No, that's not it," Matthew replied, "it's a nagging feeling I've had ever since I've seen Belldandy."  
  
"Yeah, it's pretty weird how they all seem to know you," Keiichi said, remembering the initial impressions that the American made on the goddesses.  
  
"That's not all. Hell, I don't even remember why I'm in Japan in the first place! I'm supposed to be visiting Korea, but I end up buying a ticket to Japan!" Matthew threw up his hands.  
  
Before Keiichi could comment on anything, Matthew ranted on: "And today's accident! I can't believe I was so easily distracted! It never happened to me before. I -never- had an accident before today. It's unbelievable. It seems that I have bad luck the moment I stepped a foot onto Japan."  
  
"It has to happen sometime. But you won't have bad luck as long as you're with us, Matthew," Keiichi said firmly. 'As long as Belldandy is here to help, that is,' Keiichi mentally added.  
  
Matthew hung his head. "Look, I'm sorry... you guys took me in so readily, and I shouldn't have said that."  
  
"Please, don't worry about it."  
  
"But I am! All the strange coincidences leading up to this point... I didn't tell you this before, but my heart went babump when I first saw your girlfriend and her sisters."  
  
Keiichi chuckled. "They have that effect on guys, it's normal. Especially Urd."  
  
"What? No, well, I can see what you mean, but I didn't mean -that-. My experience wasn't nearly as pleasant. I thought I had suffered a stroke!" Matthew explained.  
  
"Well, that's a first," Keiichi muttered.  
  
Matthew sighed and his shoulders slumped. "Look, this isn't going anywhere. I'm just going to chalk it up to stress."  
  
Keiichi mentally breathed a sigh a relief. He mustered a weak smile. "Yeah, stress can do weird things to you."  
  
When Matthew didn't respond, Keiichi frowned. He looked at the silent American, who was apparently dumbstruck and staring up into the sky. In reflex, Keiichi craned his neck to see for himself.  
  
From the heavens, a slim tower of light burst forth and struck the temple compounds. Runic inscriptions began to appear on the ground where it landed, crackling with blue lightning and thruming with magical power.  
  
Keiichi's mind scrambled as he remembered seeing it. It was the same phenomenon that had threatened to take Belldandy away from him. A Heaven's Gate...  
  
But this time, no one was going up. Rather, somebody was coming down.  
  
Keiichi and Matthew stared as a figure slowly floated down the pillar of light, finally landing a few inches off the ground. She was a middle-aged woman, her hair richly white and tied back in a single pony-tail. Her blue eyes still twinkled with vigour, despite the grandmotherly look on her face. A star-like rune was on her forehead.  
  
Stunned by her unworldly appearance, Keiichi and Matthew could only stay rooted to where they were as the robed woman approached closer.  
  
"After all this time... I finally found you."  
  
-tbc-  
  
----  
  
Thankees  
  
RudyHenkel: Thanks for the encouragement. Hopefully my ideas are different from yours, so that you can write your own O!MG story as well. Good luck!  
  
(): Thanks! Maybe I'll even get your name next time ^_^  
  
---  
  
Notes:  
  
Cohors = Latin for "General's Bodyguard"  
  
-eof- 


	4. Grand Entrances I

4. Grand Entrances (i)  
  
"After all this time... I finally found you."  
  
It only took a moment for Matthew to realize that the mysterious woman was not referring to himself, but she was looking towards Keiichi.  
  
"Eh?" Keiichi said with his mouth agape.  
  
"I always wondered what GOD had seen in humans," the woman said conversationally. "But now and here, standing before you, I sense there is something special about you."  
  
"M-me?" Keiichi pointed at himself.  
  
"Of course. what else could have drawn those goddesses to your side like moths to a flame?"  
  
Keiichi took a step back in shock, realizing that the woman knew of his relationship with Belldandy and her sisters. Then again, he rationalized that Belldandy's extended presence on Earth would have been quite the news in Heaven.  
  
"What's all that racket!? We're having a serious meeting here!" Urd demanded as she slid open the shoji doors.  
  
Then Urd stood there, one hand still on the door as she stared at the newcomer with shock.  
  
"Roma..." Urd whispered. A moment later, her sisters and Peorth joined her. They too, stopped in shock when they laid their eyes on the woman. Belldandy's consternation was increased when she noticed the still active Heaven's Gate behind her.  
  
"Still the wicked, rude child, I see," the newcomer said coldly.  
  
The woman's remark snapped Urd from her reverie. She shook her head angrily and pointed at her. "Roma! What are -you- doing here!?"  
  
Roma, the newcomer with her rich white hair tied back in a ponytail, gave her a condescending glare. It was a look full of contempt, like the eyes of a noblewoman staring down at a filthy orphan. That was the feeling Urd felt from her eyes, and she inwardly seethed with anger.  
  
"Elder Goddess Roma...?" Belldandy slowly said as she stepped forward.  
  
Seeing her, Roma's eyes softened a little. "Belldandy. How nice to see you again."  
  
Belldandy bowed her head slightly as a sign of respect. "May I ask... what is your business here at our home?" she asked politely.  
  
The Elder Goddess snorted. "What do you mean, 'our' home?" she demanded.  
  
Belldandy raised her chin defiantly and stood beside Keiichi. "This our home, Elder Goddess. This is the home of Keiichi Morisato, Belldandy, Urd, and Skuld."  
  
"Do not be impertinent, child. Your place is in the Heavens. Your stay here is just temporary."  
  
Belldandy shook her head slowly. "No... I will stay at Keiichi's side as long as time permits," she answered with full confidence. Keiichi, motionless until that moment, found that his hand had moved by its own accord and gripped Belldandy's hand with emotion.  
  
"Will someone tell me what the hell is going on here?!" Matthew screamed. He backpedaled in fear, retreating from both his new-found friends and the strange woman known as Roma.  
  
"Do not mention that foul place in my presence!" Roma thundered. She snapped a finger and a bolt of lightning slammed into Matthew's chest. Before the American could even scream out in pain, he was knocked unconscious. Wisps of smoke curled from the burnt patch of grass where he fell several feet away. His shirt had a large hole where the lightning scored a direct hit.  
  
"Matthew!" Keiichi yelled and raced to his fallen friend's side, Belldandy and Skuld close behind him. Hurriedly kneeling by Matthew's side, Belldandy began to chant a healing song.  
  
Roma idly twirled her white ponytail nonchalantly even as Urd and Peorth confronted her.  
  
"Why did you do that for?!" Urd demanded hotly.  
  
Belldandy wiped her brow as soon as her spell was done. She frowned as she looked at the unconscious form of Matthew, who was breathing normally as he slept on the torched grass.  
  
"Sister, are you alright?" Skuld asked in concern, noting her look.  
  
"I'm fine, Skuld, thank you for asking," Belldandy smiled.   
  
"Belldandy... is Matthew alright?" Keiichi asked softly. Belldandy nodded. But as she stood to her feet, her kind look was replaced by a sterner one. "Elder Goddess Roma, can you please explain?" she said, looking directly at the white-haired goddess.  
  
"It seems that your older sister's foul temperament has rubbed off on you," Roma tsked. Urd's simmering anger threatened to bubble over.  
  
"Don't act so high and mighty, you senile senior citizen," Urd hissed through gritted teeth. Peorth actually took a step back when she heard Urd's warning.  
  
'I have never seen Urd this pissed!' Peorth thought. 'What the heck happened between them?'   
  
Roma narrowed her eyes, and for moment Peorth wondered if she was going to send a lightning bolt at Urd. Then Roma sighed and relaxed her shoulders.  
  
"I do not have time for this," Roma said, almost exasperatedly, "let me do my mission and stay out of my way."  
  
"What exactly is your mission, Elder Goddess?" Belldandy asked, still maintaining her civil tone.  
  
"My, how forgetful of me," Roma mocked. Then she smiled, almost viciously. "I am under direct orders from Judge Fides to retrieve Keiichi Morisato and the anomaly known as Matthew."  
  
"What?" Belldandy gasped in shock.  
  
Behind her, Keiichi who was trying to shift Matthew away from the burnt grass stopped in his tracks. His head slowly turned to stare at Roma in disbelief.  
  
"Keiichi? I thought this is just about Matthew!" Peorth blurted.  
  
Roma blinked. "You thought wrong then," she added in a sarcastic way.  
  
"Why Keiichi!?" skuld demanded. Even though she harbored no real love for Keiichi, she loved her sister. And her sister loved Keiichi. And thus, Keiichi's presence was vital to Belldandy's happiness. Skuld couldn't help but to stick up for Keiichi, though it was for her sister's sake.  
  
"Young child, do not speak to me in that tone again or you will be taught a lesson that you will never forget," Roma warned, her eyes staring down coldly at the Goddess of the Future.   
  
Skuld's knees actually wavered.  
  
"Y-you're joking right?" Keiichi stuttered nervously.  
  
"My dear boy," Roma sighed, "I wish it was so. Have you any idea how long we kept an eye on you?"  
  
"E-eh?"  
  
"We were all quite perturbed that a goddess like Belldandy could be contracted to stay with a mere mortal. And to be honest, it was even more so when GOD saw it fit not to null the contract, despite all that had happened in your life."  
  
Roma then assumed a thoughtful pose. "Come to think of it, you lead a very interesting life for a mortal. Have you ever thought that all the incidences that had happened to you are a direct result of your contract with Belldandy?"  
  
Belldandy's fists actually clenched.  
  
"Elder Goddess Roma... you were watching on us the whole time?" she asked, her voice shaking. Standing beside her, Urd wondered what was going on her younger sister's mind. She remembered how furious Belldandy became when she found out Urd had been secretly spying and recording her relationship with Keiichi.  
  
"Child, we are -always- watching," Roma simply answered.  
  
'Ouch,' Urd mentally winced.  
  
"Elder Goddess! I want answers now! Just what is happening to Yggdrasil?! Why is the Justice Department so interested in Keiichi and Matthew!?" Peorth interrupted.  
  
"Do not be ridiculous. As if I would need to answer to the likes of you," Roma replied.   
  
Peorth's anger bubbled over. "I am a Goddess First Class! I -demand- an answer!"  
  
Instantly, Roma's visage changed. From contempt, it became anger. The Elder Goddess raised one hand and pointed almost casually at Peorth.  
  
"W-wha..." Peorth eyes widened.  
  
Nobody could react in time to prevent Peorth being blasted back by a lightning bolt.  
  
As Peorth's body flew back and landed on the ground, all they could were stand rooted and eyes disbelieving.  
  
"Now, if there's no further complaints...?" Roma asked airily. She flicked off some imaginary dust from her robes as she slowly approached Keiichi.  
  
"W-what are you going to do to me?" Keiichi managed to ask.  
  
Roma smiled coldly. "My dear boy, that is not up to me decide. But be grateful, not many mortals get to go to Heaven while still being alive."  
  
"W-what if I don't want to?"  
  
Roma's smile merely increased. "-That-, is not for -you- to decide."  
  
As she came closer, Belldandy resolutely stood before her and Keiichi. Roma's eyes narrowed as she recognized the look on the Goddess of the Present's face.  
  
"I am afraid I cannot allow that, Elder Goddess Roma."  
  
-tbc-  
  
----  
  
Thankees  
  
Morisatou Keiichi: Thank you for your reviews and very kind words! Hopefully you will remain patient as I grind this out ever-so-slowly... As for your question regarding Peorth teleporting... well, she requires a camera to do so, and I can't come up with an excuse for it yet.  
  
bludandy: Hope this will tide you over :)  
  
---  
  
Notes:  
  
Roma = rescrambled from amor, Latin for 'passion' 


	5. Grand Entrances II

5. Grand Entrances (II)  
  
"I am afraid I cannot allow that, Elder Goddess Roma."  
  
Belldandy stood in front of Keiichi, arms spread wide to shield him from the Elder Goddess.  
  
"Child, do you realize what you are doing?" Roma asked, staring daggers at the Goddess of the Present.  
  
"Belldandy!" Keiichi whispered urgently, both feeling glad and yet horrified by the danger his beloved was facing. He only needed to glance back to see Peorth still lying on the ground unconscious. Peorth was a Goddess First Class, but she was knocked out by Roma with a single lightning bolt. Beside her was the equally unconscious Matthew, who was also attacked by the Elder Goddess. Skuld and Urd attended to them nervously, unsure of what would happen next.  
  
Keiichi had no intentions seeing Belldandy suffering the same fate.  
  
"Keiichi-san, please stand back," Belldandy said, a resolute look on her face as she stared back at Roma.  
  
"Why are you defending that mortal, Belldandy?" Roma asked, a bored tone in her voice.  
  
"If you have indeed watched us, then you should know the answer," Belldandy replied evenly.  
  
"Child, what good is it for you to spend so much time with a mere mortal? I am only doing this for your own future good," Roma stated kindly.  
  
Belldandy was not deceived by her honeyed words. "Elder Goddess, you can never understand the feelings I have for Keiichi," she said, glancing back at the Japanese man and smiled. To Keiichi, it was positively radiant... and the words she spoke struck deeply within him so that he remained absolutely speechless.  
  
Roma was folded her arms and sighed.  
  
"I -do- understand, Belldandy. Do not think of me as an unfeeling person. I know what you are going through," she smiled, more realisitically this time. Perhaps, even with a twinge of wistfulness...?  
  
Then her eyes hardened. "But do you honestly think you can be with this mortal forever? Watch him grow old and eventually die while you remain the same as you are?"  
  
"I just wish to spend as much as I can with Keiichi-san," Belldandy replied without hesitation. There was no tint of blush, no embarrassment. It was something she truly wanted.  
  
For Keiichi, despite the gravity of the matter, it was the best thing he ever heard.  
  
"Very well, Belldandy... if that's the way you want it," Roma sighed again. Belldandy smiled and relaxed, seeing how the Elder Goddess had slumped her shoulders in defeat.  
  
Thus, nobody expected it when Roma unleashed yet another thunderbolt, this time hurtling it towards Belldandy.  
  
The Goddess of the Present couldn't even raise her arms or shriek in terror as the lightning slammed into her, the bluish energies coursing through her entire form.  
  
As she fell limply on the ground, time seemed to stop for Keiichi, Urd and Skuld.  
  
It was only when the dull thud of Belldandy's body hitting the charred grass reached their ears that they understood the impact.  
  
"BELLDANDY!"  
  
"SIS!"  
  
Even as they crowded around the unconscious Goddess, who now joined the ranks of Peorth and Matthew as being knocked out by lightning, Roma nonchalantly wiped her hands.  
  
"Belldandy!" Keiichi shouted as he held her, not caring the heat. Beside him, Skuld was already crying.  
  
"I did not want to do that, but it could not be avoided," Roma said, twirling a lock of her silvery-white hair.  
  
"You MONSTER!" Urd screamed. She leapt up into the skies and launched a lightning bolt of her own at Roma.  
  
Roma made a show of turning her head aside, yawning and merely slapped aside the lightning. The bolt of electricity literally bounced off her hand and struck the ground at a tangent.  
  
"Oh please," Roma smirked as a circular energy field shimmered around her.  
  
"Damn, a protection spell!" Urd cursed.  
  
Back on the ground, Belldandy stirred slowly, her eyes opening to see the worried faces of her loved ones.  
  
"Belldandy...?" Keiichi whispered as he craddled her head, his eyes close to tears.  
  
"I... I'm alright, Keiichi..." Belldandy whispered hoarsely. It pained his ears to hear her talk in such a voice.  
  
"Come now, I did not hurt her -that- much," Roma said, taunting Urd who was still hovering in the air.  
  
Incensed, Urd repeated her futile attacks. Each of her mighty lightning strikes bounced off Roma's shield and hit everywhere except for the intended target. Roma herself began exchanging lightning bolts of her own. She too did not bother to actually aim, she merely launched bolts at random.  
  
Urd, focussing on all-out attack, did not bother to shield herself, instead relying on her speed and intuition to avoid the strikes and counter with her own.  
  
It was a sort of a dance of the furies, the two goddesses firing tremendous energies at each other, one using a shield to deflect while the other twisting and turning in the air to avoid.  
  
Meanwhile, Skuld hastily errected a shield barrier of her own with an umbrella-like device she pulled out from her dimensional space. Planted on the ground, the umbrella discharged a field, encasing the non-combatants within a protective area.   
  
"Urd's throwing everything she's got at her and it's not even making a scratch!" Skuld said, looking over the back of her shoulder nervously as she scanned Belldandy's body with a handheld device.  
  
"Why... why is this happening?" Keiichi asked, looking at the tempest of lightning fury swirling around them. Belldandy had no answers, all she could do was to shake her head slowly as she lay in his arms.  
  
"What can we do!?" Skuld wailed in near panic. When Keiichi saw the futuristic umbrella device was turning red with heat and starting to emit gas, he understood. The forces of nature banging on the forcefield was overpowering.  
  
The forcefield finally collapsed with a bang. Urd turned to look and saw her sisters and Keiichi unprotected. Thoughts of attack forgotten, Urd rushed down to be with them.  
  
Urd gasped when Roma suddenly appeared in front of her.  
  
"You should never look away in a battle," Roma commented, right before she blasted Urd right out of the sky.  
  
The Goddess of the Past fell slowly like a fallen angel, landing with a dull sound on the ground and unmoving thereafter.  
  
"You are no match to me, you miserably little half-breed," Roma sneered, casually blowing at her smoking hand as she dramatically lowered herself to land before Keiichi and Belldandy.  
  
"Just.. just who is she?" Keiichi whispered to Belldandy.  
  
Belldandy shook her head negatively. "She's... she's an Elder Goddess, the first of the Creator's servants. She is one of our... teachers... we are no match for her..." she answered slowly.  
  
"Now that all the drama is done with, perhaps you will now obey me," Roma said, staring down at Keiichi coldly. She snapped her fingers and Matthew's unconscious body began to float towards her.  
  
"No, I won't go," Keiichi refused.  
  
"Honestly mortal, do you think you can possibly stop me from taking you with me?" Roma asked.  
  
Keiichi simmered with anger. His eyes were shut, his fist closed and trembling. "Why... why do you have to treat them so bad?" was all he could say.  
  
Roma laughed heartily. "Do you wish to fight? After what I have done to that demonspawn?" she said, looking at Urd's prone body.  
  
And at that very moment, there was a loud explosion. Since it occured behind Roma, even the Elder Goddess was surprised. The entire ground shook violently like an earthquake.   
  
As a fissure opened, there was an outpouring of light and glow. Keiichi felt a prickly sensation running down his back, a sense of tremendous awe and pressure that nearly overwhelm them.  
  
He was not alone, as Belldandy and Skuld felt it too.  
  
Elder Goddess Roma as well, for she stared with her mouth open, eyes wide with shock as a figure emerged from the opened crack on the ground.  
  
"I see you have been talking behind my back again Roma," Hild greeted, her icy eyes belying the smile on her face. 

---

Written in between many interruptions over a long period of time. Please forgive any inconsistencies. C&C welcome.


	6. Opening Moves

6. Opening Moves  
  
"I see you have been talking behind my back again Roma."  
  
"Hild!" Roma gasped involuntarily.  
  
The silver-haired demoness ruler of Hell smirked with a sense of pleasure when she detected the anger behind Roma's eyes.  
  
"Demonspawn! How dare you interrupt my business!" Roma demanded, her nostrils flaring.  
  
"My, we haven't met for ages and this is how you greet me?" Hild asked coyly.  
  
"I have nothing but curses and insults for you," Roma sneered.  
  
"Ha ha," Hild laughed melodiously, "you sound more like a demon than a lightspawn."  
  
For her part, Skuld looked on bewilderedly. Urd was down, Peorth was down. Belldandy wasn't doing too well either. Matthew the stranger lay on the burnt grass unmoving, while Keiichi was just like her, stunned and speechless.  
  
The appearance of Hild didn't really help to settle the Goddess of the Future's frayed nerves. The three sisters and Keiichi first encountered the ruler of Hell during the debacle involving Velsper and Peorth's unwilling youthening.   
  
Even the problems arising from that was mild compared to the horrifying Angel-Eater that Hild had unleashed on the sisters, causing near-permanent catatonic states on Urd, Belldandy and Peorth.   
  
The horrible experience of that ordeal was never lost upon Skuld, even though her angel was never devoured, she felt utterly helpless in face of the monster. Only the timely and brave intervention of Keiichi, Skuld and the warrior goddess known as Lind managed to stop the Angel-Eater and save them.  
  
"Looks like you kids are in trouble again," Hild drawled to the young goddess.  
  
Something about her condescending smirk sparked Skuld's indignation. "What do you mean, 'again'?! You caused some of the troubles yourself!" she snapped, momentarily forgetting that she was talking back to the ruler of Hell.  
  
Only when Hild narrowed her eyes, did Skuld remember it. The demoness was still smiling, but her eyes were blood-curdling.  
  
"And what brings -you- here?" Roma asked, her lips twitching in a sneer, a total change from the kindly grandmother look she had when the Elder Goddess first arrived.  
  
"Can't a mother drop by to visit her daughter?" Hild countered. She affected a surprised look when she saw Urd lying in a heap, as if noticing the Goddess of the Past for the first time. Urd was still unconscious, otherwise she would have displayed some form of negative emotion at Hild's presence.  
  
"Hmm, I see you have been disciplining the children again," Hild remarked, surveying the damage all around the area.  
  
"Now that you are here, perhaps you would deign to take your daughter back to Hell where she belongs," Roma suggested acidly.  
  
"Funny, I thought your precious GOD, the Almighty, the Creator decided that she belongs with you people," Hild replied, a sarcastic tone rolling down every mention of Heaven's leader.  
  
"How dare you mock Him!" Roma seethed. In a blaze of anger, she thrust a palm at Hild and a bolt of lightning leapt towards the demoness.  
  
In direct contrast to the difficulties the goddesses had when facing Roma's bolts, Hild made a show of yawning. A slight wave of the hand and the lightning simply dispersed.  
  
"You can do this all day and I won't feel a thing, you know," Hild pointed out, lightly fingering a lock of her platinum hair.  
  
The Elder Goddess clenched her fists in an effort to calm down.  
  
"I will withdraw for now," Roma said through gritted teeth. It was obvious to all that she was swallowingly her considerable pride out of knowledge that Hild was infinitely more powerful than she was.  
  
Even Keiichi knew it. When he first saw Hild, Belldandy had explained the the various earrings, bracelets and other accessories on Hild were the same sort of power limiter devices used by the goddesses. As powerful as the goddesses were, they only used a single item each, but the fact that Hild wore so many and yet could still display such power was not lost on the young Japanese man.  
  
"My, are you asking for -my- permission? I feel -so- honored," Hild laughed.  
  
Roma took a deep breath and closed her eyes. After a moment, they opened and the fury behind them disappeared. She quietly went over towards Belldandy and Keiichi. Hild pointedly ignored her and instead floated over to Urd's prone body, which she proceeded to poke around mischeviously.  
  
Even though he knew he was powerless, Keiichi protectively shielded Belldandy from the approaching Elder Goddess. He knew better than to ask Hild for help, the demoness wouldn't do it unless it was in her interest. If she could display such callousness towards her own daughter, why would Hild lift a finger to help them?  
  
"Do not worry, Keiichi Morisato. I have no further intentions of harming you or anyone else at this moment," Roma said solemnly.   
  
Despite her assurance, Keiichi had no intentions of believing her.  
  
Roma sighed. "This is proving far more difficult than I thought. And it was supposed to be a simple errand..."  
  
She glanced back at Hild, who was pulling Urd's face into comical positions despite Skuld's mild protests. Nearby, Peorth was already beginning to stir due to the commotion.  
  
"No matter, I am confident we will achieve what we want," Roma announced, turning her attention back towards Keiichi, and then looking at Matthew.  
  
"What -do- you want?!" Keiichi blurted.  
  
"Did not I mention earlier? We want you, Keiichi Morisato. And the person known as Matthew."  
  
"But, but why!?"  
  
Roma shrugged. "That is not for you to know. But you will come to us, sooner or later."  
  
At this point, Belldandy spoke up. "I afraid not, Elder Goddess Roma. I am bound under contract and by willful choice to Keiichi. There will be nothing that can separate us," she said resolutely.  
  
Roma looked at Belldandy. The Goddess of the Present's face was determined, her eyes unrelenting. A sudden thought crossed Roma's mind when she saw Belldandy.  
  
"A very brave statement, considering the Ruler of Hell is here. What if she takes Keiichi away? Would you stop her? Do you swear upon it?" Roma asked casually.  
  
"Of course," Belldandy said immediately. There was no room for hesitation or doubt. Her feelings for Keiichi was paramount.  
  
"And of Matthew? You barely know the mortal, would you swear to put him under your protection from the forces of Hell?"  
  
This time, the sheer kindness within Belldandy answered. "I will not allow any harm to come to him as well."  
  
Roma nodded and smiled in a satisfied manner. "I will have this officially recorded. This will be treated as an official contract, Belldandy. Make sure you do not fail."  
  
"I will not," Belldandy said. It wasn't a promise, Belldandy stated it matter-of-factly. She had that much belief.  
  
"What's up with all that nonsense? I thought you were leaving," Hild interrupted with affected boredom.  
  
"My task is done," Roma said. She glared at Hild as her body began to dematerialize. But just before she disappeared, Hild saw that the Elder Goddess had a private smile.  
  
"Hmmm... I wonder what all that was about," Hild wondered aloud disinterestedly.  
  
---  
  
Back at the hall of Yggdrasil, Cohors' shoulders slumped as he watched the scene unfold on a monitor screen.  
  
"She failed. As you have feared, someone -did- appear and upset our plans," he said to the figure sitting beside him.  
  
Judge Fides, leader of the Justice Department and defacto head of the Elder Gods, linked his fingers before his face thoughfully. "Regrettably, it seems so," he said. "Still, we should have expected Hild to appear when we are dealing with such a sensitive matter."  
  
"Do you think she suspects?" Cohors asked, looking at the monitor again.  
  
"I doubt it. In anycase, there is little we can do to stop her if she does indeed know," Fides answered. Despite his station, he knew there was little he could do to stop Hild. Even with his considerable powers, there was no way he could equal Hild.  
  
A sudden beep at a nearby terminal distracted them. Curious, Cohors went over to check. His eyes scanned the screen quickly before pressing a button and had a hardcopy printed out.  
  
"I think you will find this interesting," he said as he passed it to Fides.  
  
The most senior of the Elder Gods took it and read it slowly. A smile slowly formed on his wizened face.  
  
"Roma is a very resouceful person," he commented.  
  
"I do not understand..." Cohors said doubtfully.  
  
"The gambit Roma played has failed, but with this she has given us another card to play. No... it is more than that. Consider this an irrevocable caveat on our interests," Fides replied.  
  
"Then we still have a chance?" Cohors asked, still unsure.  
  
Fides' eyes twinkled with confidence.  
  
"A chance? No my friend, we are almost guaranteed to win!"  
  
---  
  
tbc...  
  
Dedicated to devil-urd, who never stopped encouraging :)  
  
Once again, written sparsely over a long period of time. As always, C&C welcome. 


End file.
